Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 528 - 526

Chapter 528: 526

Xiao’er and Shangguan Wanru had dinner at the Four Seasons Restaurant before parting ways.

Jingrui also had dinner here with his classmates today. After dinner, the brother and sister happened to return home together.

The carriage slowly moved along the bluestone slabs.

Xiao’er remembered that the pipeline map of the hot spring resort had been drawn up, and said to Jingrui, "Brother, you go home first. I’ll go to Du Mansion."

"I’ll go with you! I can pay a visit to Brother Du."

Hearing this, Xiao’er didn’t say anything more.

The carriage quickly arrived outside the Du Mansion. The Du Mansion had only two entrances. The red paint on the main gate had peeled off, making the mansion appear somewhat rundown. It had seen better days. But for the Imperial City where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, the area of the Du Mansion was considered large, at least with a garden of moderate size.

Yang Liu had just disembarked from the carriage and was about to knock on the door, when the side door opened. Du Yijin, her eyes red, ran out.

"Miss Du." Yang Liu paid her respects timely.

When Du Yijin heard someone calling her name and saw a familiar carriage parked outside their house, she seemed stunned, recognizing it as the carriage from Xiao’er’s house.

She hurriedly wiped the corners of her eyes, and asked, "Has the Countess of Rui’an County come to see me?"

Sitting in the carriage, Xiao’er said to Du Yijin, "If you don’t mind, Miss Du, please get in the carriage and let’s talk."

Jingrui voluntarily stepped out of the carriage, seemingly ignoring Du Yijin’s red eyes. He greeted Du Yijin with a respectful greeting among equals, "Miss Du, is your brother home?"

"My elder brother has gone to the Langwen Bookstore to read."

"Then I’ll go to the bookstore to find him." The Langwen Bookstore is located on a nearby street and is not far by foot.

Jingrui excused himself to the two and walked away.

Xiao’er invited Du Yijin into the carriage again.

Although Du Yijin did not want to meet people at the moment, she knew that Xiao’er wouldn’t seek her out without a reason. She nodded in agreement.

The carriage drove straight into the second gate of Marquis Shengping’s Mansion before stopping.

Xiao’er led Du Yijin back to her own courtyard. After the maid served some juice and snacks, Xiao’er finally asked, "Miss Du, are you facing any difficult circumstances?"

If it’s her younger brother’s illness or a matter of money, she could help.

With nowhere else to pour out her grievances, Du Yijin couldn’t hold back upon being asked, "My mother wants to marry me off to her nephew."

Is the nephew from Du Yijin’s mother’s side of the family the son of that habitual gambler?

"Is your stepmother’s nephew anything like his father?" Were they about to stick a blooming flower in a pile of cow dung?

Du Yijin nodded.

"Does Mr. Du have no objections?" Wasn’t Mr. Du known for treating his late wife’s children well?

"My father probably doesn’t know about this yet. I learned about it unintentionally when I overheard her talking to my aunt," Du Yijin shook her head.

She had hastily heard about this situation and was unable to accept it at once, which was why she had run out crying.

"As long as your father disagrees, your stepmother should not have her way," Xiao’er reassured her.

Though there is a say, where there’s a stepmother, there’s a stepfather, Mr. Du would certainly not want to see his daughter jump into a fire pit!

Du Yijin nodded, "I will absolutely not marry that degenerate gambler! I would rather die!"

Xiao’er knew she was determined and did not say anything more. She showed Du Yijin the layout of the water pipes.

After all, it was to go through the land of her family’s villa, and her consent was needed.

Du Yijin took it to look, and Xiao’er was worried that she wouldn’t understand, so she explained it to her.

Du Yijin saw that the impact on the crops of her family’s villa wasn’t significant, so she nodded.

After looking at the blueprints, Xiao’er also took Du Yijin to see the pond in her garden.

"Your lotus roots are better than those in my villa."

"We have been planting ours for a few years now, and the buds have sprouted. As for yours, you only recently sowed them, so they are incomparable. Miss Du, why don’t you have a meal before returning home? We can go fishing and the fish we catch can be used for tonight’s dish."

Du Yijin didn’t want to go back so early, so she nodded.

After dinner, Xiao’er arranged for a carriage to send Du Yijin back to the Du Mansion.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the hot spring resort is set to begin the day after tomorrow. Xiao’er invited Du Yijin to go with her, and Du Yijin gladly agreed.

After having dinner together, Mrs. Liu’s fondness for the girl, Du Yijin, kept increasing.

Once everyone had left, Mrs. Liu held Xiao’er’s hand and asked, "Xiao’er, what do you think of Miss Du?"

"Miss Du is quite nice. You should also think about it, Mom. If I didn’t think she was good, would I have been able to partner with her and even invite her over as a guest?"

"And what do you think about her as your sister-in-law?"

At Mrs. Liu’s words, Liu Lin, Mrs. Tan, Xiao’er, and Yun’er all turned to look at her.

"What happened? Is it not good?" Mrs. Liu asked somewhat uncertainly when everyone was silent.

"Miss Du is good, but with such a troubling family, the hassles would be endless." Mrs. Tan voiced her thoughts.

She had heard Mrs. Liu talk about the distasteful affairs of the Du family.

"Afraid that troubles would continue in the future." Mrs. Liu Lin, thinking of Liu Minhong’s half-brother, also shook her head.

Mrs. Liu remembered her own half-brother.

Although Du Yijin’s family had no gamblers, the troublesome aspect was that her stepmother is a troublemaker, as evidenced by how she dragged down the Du Mansion.

If Du Yijin were married into their family, and also help out her natal family, wouldn’t Jingrui have to support two big families? Gambling is a bottomless pit, where even the most substantial family fortunes could be lost overnight. Mrs. Liu shivered at the thought and said, "Let’s forget about it then."

"None of that matters. It wouldn’t be bad if Miss Du became my sister-in-law, but I don’t know if my elder brother would like her or not! After all, it is my brother who will marry her and spend his lifetime with her. We have to ask his opinion about this matter."

"Of course, that’s only natural. You’re not concerned about Miss Du’s stepmother’s relatives?"

"What do Miss Du’s stepmother and her relatives have to do with her? Who said that a married daughter has to care for her stepmother’s family? There’s no logical basis for that matter!"

"That’s right, but there are people in the world who are unreasonable!" Mrs. Liu shook her head.

"Then let’s speak with our fists! If my family doesn’t want to, can they force their way in?" Xiao’er shrugged indifferently.

Then Xiao’er revealed how Du Yijin’s stepmother intended to marry her off to her cousin.

"Isn’t this pushing Miss Du into a fiery pit?" Indeed, a stepmother! This isn’t something a real mother could do! Mrs. Liu thought.

"That’s utterly outrageous!" Mrs. Tan exclaimed indignantly.

"The Du family’s girl is indeed pitiable." Mrs. Liu Lin sighed.

But although they felt sorry for her, they really couldn’t help her in this matter.

Mrs. Liu had been looking for a suitable wife for Jingrui all along, and Xiao’er felt that Du Yijin was quite suitable.

Jingrui is the eldest son, who is supposed to inherit the title in the future. Du Yijin’s mother died when she was very young, and her stepmother made the Du Mansion a mess. Her life has been unstable, yet didn’t she make it through?

She supported her eldest brother’s study and treated her younger brother’s illness. In this era, a woman who could do so much was extraordinary!